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CNET
3 days ago
- Health
- CNET
I Found the 7 Most Effective Devices to Handle Home Fires
I think home fires are one of the most unpleasant surprises people face, but these dangerous disasters are unfortunately common, especially when making mistakes with space heaters or even concentrated sunlight during heatwaves. In my smart home and home security reviews, I've come across several devices that help guard against these fires without breaking the bank -- and they'll keep you updated on dangers even when you aren't at home. Here are the top smoke detectors, smart speakers and monitoring systems that make a real difference with minimal privacy concerns. Note: Always check your state regulations to see if you need a wired smoke detector vs. a battery model. Nest Protect (2nd gen) The Nest Protect is a popular option. Tyler Lizenby/CNET The most popular and best smart smoke detector on the market right now, the Nest Protect ($100), uses a split-spectrum sensor that supposedly helps it sense smoldering fires faster, and it combines that smoke-detecting prowess with helpful smarts. In practice, the Nest Protect responded to smoke almost as quickly as an ordinary Kidde smoke detector. Once the alarm sounds, you'll get a push notification, and you can use the app to silence the alarm in the case of burnt toast. The Nest Protect will also help you avoid those annoying low-battery chirps with notifications when it's time to replace your AAs. We found the smarts helpful when we tested the Nest Protect and recommend it readily to anyone looking to replace your dumb old smoke detectors with a smart upgrade. Note: Google is slowly discontinuing the Nest Protect. We're still recommending it for now because, well, it's a great smart smoke detector and Nest will be continuing to support it for years. But if you want to be on the cutting edge, you can look at this Nest-powered Kidde smoke detector instead for $130. Read CNET's full review of the Nest Protect (2nd gen). Ring-Supported Kidde Smoke Alarm Kidde's new detectors work with the Ring app right out of the box for alerts and battery notifications. Ring I've recently tested a very promising new smoke detector available this summer, a collaboration between home security brand Ring and one of our favorite smoke and fire brands, Kidde. This smoke detector uses a Kidde design combined with Ring technology to give it smart features and useful alerts. The Ring app will provide alerts, updates, low battery warnings and more information. This is a valuable combo, especially if you already use Ring devices or if you'd prefer not to use Google Home for a Nest system. Kidde Voice Alert Smoke Detector Kidde's voice alert detector is a great option for people who want to stay away from apps. Kidde If you don't care about Ring compatibility, our next stop is the latest photoelectric battery model from Kidde. It has excellent specs and Kidde smoke detectors reliably test well on our speed and smoke detection exams. The model has handy voice alarms that tell you what's wrong, like "Fire" vs. "Replace batteries" so you know what to expect. The design also helps reduce false alarms from things like candles or cooking. Just ensure you get a wired version if your building codes require a hardwired smoke detector in certain spots. SimpliSafe Home Security Smoke Detector If your home security system supports smoke detectors, tap into this compatibility. SimpliSafe If you already have a security system, you should start by looking for fire, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that your system already supports, so it can monitor and control them along with other sensors. Most home security systems offer devices like this, but SimpliSafe's is an ideal example of how it works. It works via the SimpliSafe app, is designed for accuracy and can tap into SimpliSafe's 24/7 home monitoring service if you choose to subscribe. Ting Electrical Fault Detectors Monitoring devices like Ting are made with electrical fires in mind. Ting/Whisker Labs A hidden cause of home fires is problems with wiring, which can be more common in older homes. If your home is high-risk, you may consider a monitoring solution like Ting, with plug-in devices that monitor your home electricity and watch for signs of faults. Ting says it can statistically stop four out of five home electrical fires with this kind of monitoring, and you may even get a credit amount to help pay for wiring repair. Alexa Emergency Assist Alexa Emergency Assist can listen for fire alarms among other services. Amazon What happens when you aren't home or can't quickly deal with a fire? A service like Alexa Emergency Assist could be the right answer if you want to go beyond detectors. It's relatively affordable compared to home monitoring plans at $6 per month, and Alexa has some valuable tricks, like the ability to listen for smoke alarms and send your phone a message about them, no matter where you are. The service can also put you in contact with an agent who can call the fire department and take other important steps. First Alert Rechargeable Fire Extinguisher First Alert There's not really any such thing as a "smart" fire extinguisher -- they are already quite efficient at what they do. And if your home doesn't have a fire extinguisher within easy reach (especially in the kitchen, where many fires can start), it's time to add one. Technically, this First Alert model is made for garages, but you can use it anywhere. It's durable, rechargeable, and ready even for grease and chemical fires. To learn more about home safety, consult our master list of home security topics, see the best DIY home security systems, and check out the worst home security myths people still believe.
CNET
20-05-2025
- Business
- CNET
Google Gemini Is Set to Replace Google Assistant for Voice Commands: Here's What I Know
Google's latest AI Gemini, a master of conversation and identification, has been around for many months now, so I've been expecting this move for a while, but now it's official: The humble Google Assistant is going away from good, replaced by Gemini's updated efforts. But what about our Nest speakers, smart displays and the Google Home app? Are you going to have to get used to a new voice assistant in your home, too?. "Over the coming months, we're upgrading more users on mobile devices from Google Assistant to Gemini; and later this year, the classic Google Assistant will no longer be accessible on most mobile devices or available for new downloads on mobile app stores," Google reported in its blog update. That's quite clear for phone users. What happens to our smart homes in 2025 is less certain, but Google has dropped several important clues. Here's what to expect. A smart home truce, for now Your Nest devices probably won't change much this year, but big changes are on the way. Tyler Lizenby/CNET First, if you didn't know, you can already use Gemini on Google Home for more complex searching tasks, while Google links up bits of the AI to help make Google Assistant more accurate Nest devices. So the voice assistant and the AI already live in the same space on at least one Google platform. That seems to be the direction Google is taking for all its Nest and home technology for now. While cars, tables, headphones and watches are all getting the permanent change to Gemini, Google is hedging a bit with the smart home. The company reports: "We're also bringing a new experience, powered by Gemini, to home devices like speakers, displays and TVs. We look forward to sharing more details with you in the next few months. Until then, Google Assistant will continue to operate on these devices." It sounds like Google's home plans are still in development, but the switchover is coming in time. And there are good reasons for that. Gemini on phones exists primarily within Google's own ecosystem, tapping into Google's search engine, photo app, etc. But in the smart home world, Gemini must communicate with all kinds of other platforms and devices. The Matter standard makes that a bit easier, but it's still a lot of work. Google Nest must also consider its approach to smart home brand partnerships. Many of these supported brands have used the "works with Google Assistant/Google Home" language for years. Switching over to the "Google Gemini" language means rewriting a lot of marketing and product specifications, among other details. That introduces complications and raises the risk of confusing customers, another reason this step may take plenty of extra time. A rebrand, if you can keep it Gemini's role in the smart is more complicated thanks to necessary third-party integraitons. Google Google talks about how people have "made the switch" to Gemini, but for the average person, the biggest difference will be how the response sounds: You may even keep using the same wake word, although those details aren't finalized. In the smart home, we'll likely use Gemini the same way we used Google Assistant, except it will hopefully be more precise in its answers and able to make more suggestions about home management. While many AI integrations may be behind the scenes, the average homeowner will see this more as a rebrand than anything else. The big question is if it's a rebrand worth getting excited about. We've had some troubles using Google Assistant for smart home control in the past year compared with voice assistants like Alexa or Apple's Siri. While Gemini has improved, it's still far from flawless, and if most people's encounters with Google AI are through flawed search result overviews, they may be hesitant to accept the change. Another question is about privacy. As Amazon's recent privacy removals from the upcoming Alexa Plus launch show, these new AI voice assistants can be more casual with our personal data, making people uneasy. Gemini needs to be careful about how much of our home data it hoovers up versus the utility it provides. To check out more, see our guide to how AI works in home security, how Gemini is turning your essays into AI-voiced podcasts and how Gemini is already getting a little invasive by using your search history data to personalize your Google search answers.
